A New World
by omegafire17
Summary: Getting Yui into the real world has always been the family's biggest dream, even though the effort would take years. Now at roughly their early twenties, the married couple are asked to come for something big, courtesy of Asuna's father. KazutoXAsuna Yui, Rated T.
1. Miracle

**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own Sword Art Online in any form, or any of it's characters._

**Rating:** T

**Really nothing to add; enjoy**

* * *

><p><em>RL, November 2, 2030<em>

_Near RECTO Inc faculty_

Despite wearing a helmet, he could almost imagine the wind whipping through his hair, just like he heard the (muffled) roar of his motorcycle engine. And he had to admit, he much preferred this over taking the car; it seemed a lot more like you were physically connected with the road, turning when the vehicle turns-

As he made a particularly sharp turn, his other passenger tightened her arms around his waist.

-and that was another perk you weren't likely to get in the car.

He merely smiled, lightly 'bumping' his body against hers, to show how much he liked it - in return, Asuna's fingers moved closer to his chest. Probably a tease or something, but he didn't mind.

Focusing, he turned a corner, coming up on the RECTO building itself, slowing to a stop _juust_ shy of the wall. Turning the engine off, he slowly took off his helmet, looking behind him with a smile.

She smiled back, slowly handing him her helmet (which he took). "You know, I'm not so sure I'll ever get fully used to riding on this" she admitted, rather playfully.

He chuckled, grinning. "Hey, it's all about trust" he said mildly, "If you can't trust the driver, who can you trust?"

"Repetitive, much?" she teased, giggling softly. "But really, despite riding dozens of times now, I'm always just a little bit scared. Is that bad?"

He shook his head. "I don't see that as a bad thing" he said, before giving her a slight 'look'. "And besides, it's still a win-win to me" he continued, enjoying her confused look before moving on: "If you're scared, you hold on tighter to me, which I like."

In response, she lightly pushed him on the shoulder, but still giggled as she got off. She looked around a bit, even as he put up the kickstand, and other such safety precautions. "So this is where we were supposed to meet them, Kazuto?" she asked, slowly sliding off the backpack onto her arms.

"Yeah, just gotta get inside first" he breathed, walking up beside her, left hand instinctively going to her hip. The ring there picked up the light glinting off his motorcycle, though more low-key. "Whatever this is though, I'm glad it happened during our vacation time. But I'm worried."

In the middle of putting her hand over his, she jolted, looking straight at him. "Why?"

"I don't know, something about this just feels... off" he admitted. "My instinct doesn't tell me it's bad, per se, but I noticed your father didn't specifically say _exactly_ what we were being called over here for. Just that they'd be glad if we could, and to bring my Nervegear rig - that's telling me something big is about to happen."

She wasn't sure what to say to that, at least right away - still, she put her hand over his, her own ring bumping against his. He grasped her hand, keeping that arrangement, showing how much he appreciated it.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, whatever her dad was doing, it was taking a little longer than he'd anticipated. So for the moment, they were waiting in the lobby, which had those comfy chairs and sofa things, thankfully. Kazuto's worry remained in her mind, but she also worried about another thing; her dad had semi-retired after the events of Alfhiem Online went global, and he simply managed the shipping aspects of the company now. Whatever he was involved with now must be big, but not knowing what it was was driving her a little crazy.<p>

At least, in the back of her mind; the front was a little 'engaged' currently.

Kazuto glanced at her, was about to look back but double-taked slightly, half-turning. "...why are you red?" he asked. "I didn't say anything."

She jolted a bit, long enough that her husband went through this non-verbal 'Wait, did I say anything? No, I'm sure I didn't' routine, but she looked at him. "I think- I think it's finally starting to sink in" she breathed shyly. "That we're married, for real now."

He stared at her for a moment, a slight red coming to his cheeks, but after blinking once, he slowly smiled back. And that simple, warm, loving smile of his was enough of an answer for her.

She glanced down near her belly, her fingers coming together. "It's almost unreal" she whispered, cheeks red.

His left hand moved over hers, their rings touching together, while his other hand went to her shoulder. "Best day of your life, or what?" he breathed gently.

"M-More than that, Kazuto" she breathed shyly, before leaning against him. "I told you that already."

He chuckled a bit, holding her close against him. "I know" he whispered softly, kissing her hair. "I just like hearing you say it."

"You're impossible" she breathed against him, half-playful, but not letting go of him.

"Hehe."

She merely smiled, content.

Their moment lasted awhile, before she leaned up and pecked his lips, and after that, just holding hands was enough for them. And after a moment, she held up Kazuto's Nervegear rig in her other hand, knowing that Yui's data was on it's local memory... and just as she thought it, for a moment, she saw Yui's smiling image on it. She didn't know if that was her imagination or Yui's doing, but it still made her smile. If only she could be here with them now, as a hologram or something, but sadly that last bit hadn't worked out... and unless the Nervegear was functioning, she couldn't speak to them via cellphone either.

One of the thicker doors opened audibly, drawing their attention. She quickly stood up, Kazuto joining after a moment- "Dad" she breathed, quickly giving him a hug.

"Asuna" Shouzou greeted softly, and shaking her husband's hand. "Kazuto, you both must be wondering what this is about."

"Yes, sir, we are."

He offered in front of him, directly toward the heavy doors. "It's best you see something first, before I explain. And bring the Nervegear along."

She looked at Kazuto, and he at her, but they both nodded. They started walking forward, her keeping a firm grip on his Nervegear.

/

_-short walking trip later-_

"Woww-"

"Holy cow!"

The room they were taken to was vast, almost like a house, and every sound echoed in here. It was filled with rows of complex-looking scientific equipment, staffed with technicians and scientists (most of them behind the glass on the upper level), who were constantly working/doing something. By far the center of attention though (for the visitors _and_ the staff), was this closed chamber thing in the middle, which looked like it could have been a high-tech tanning bed - in the sense that someone could be inside, even while closed. Still, from the level of excitement and last-minute checks, it clearly wasn't like what it resembled at all.

"Impressive, isn't it" her dad observed, referring to the room.

"I'll say" she whispered. "What is this place"

"Well, it's accurate to say it's a general research and purpose room, but that's too technical" he noted, mildly sarcastic. "Still, the important thing is that" he continued, motioning at the 'tanning bed' thing, stepping closer to it.

"Why?" Kazuto asked, holding her hand. "What's so special about it?"

Her dad looked at him, smiling just the slightest. "You'll see soon enough" he said, before: "Hey, honey?"

"Ah, yes dad?"

"I'll need that Nervegear rig now, if you please."

She glanced at her husband (who had no clue either), and hesitated for a moment, but this was her dad. "Sure" she breathed faintly, slowly giving it over. Then her dad called over an assistant, and told her to hook Kazuto's Nervegear over to the big machine, where they quickly did as he asked.

"What's that about?" Kazuto asked, tilting his head. "Or is it not yet time?"

"I think this should tell you all you need to know" he said, hands behind his back. Then, with what seemed to be a sense of impending excitement, he breathed in and out. Then he motioned to one of the other staff. "Open it."

"Yes, sir."

A push of a few buttons, a whir as the machine hummed to life, then-

HISSSSS

The married couple were startled, but everyone else had been expecting the machine to spontanously spout steam, apparently - and anyway, the machine began to retract a cover, moving backward at a fast rate. However, whatever was inside was concealed by the steam cloud, at least at first... then it started clearing, and she began to see a figure in there. But why would someone be in there? It wasn't like-

Her breath caught in her throat, at the same time Kazuto gasped.

_"Yui!"_

Laying inside the machine, wearing a white dress that she could have easily been wearing, Yui slumbered peacefully. Her body was so close to her virtual one, it was nearly impossible to see any differences; same hairstyle, color, height, everything! The only new thing was the electronic helmet thing, with wires and other such things connected to it and the machine.

Even as they stared in shock, Yui merely continued to breathe in and out, her stomach moving with each breath - at the same time, the technicians had finished connecting the Nervegear to the machine. "Commence integration" her father ordered, and a technician threw a switch.

The machine hummed to life again, and wires connected to the Nervegear began to rout information, going through the wires with speed... right into the helmet thing over Yui's head.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked in a sorta-panic, jolting her husband.

Her father held her arm firmly. "Relax, we're just putting her information into the mechanical parts" he said. "This just means that her personality, vocal patterns, and such will all be intact when she wakes up. They just need time to synch up."

"You're _sure _about that?"

"Positive, Kazuto."

He looked at her, and they had the same instinct; rush straight over. Her father didn't attempt to stop them-

-she skidded right near the machine, her husband on the other side.

_"She's here"_ she thought, weak in the knees, and having trouble breathing. _"She's really here, right in front of us!"_

Shaking, she reached out a hand, touching Yui's cheek... her skin was smooth, and warm. At the touch, she stirred just the slightest, almost is if trying to smile.

_Plop_

She didn't know if those were her tears or Kazuto's, or both - but she didn't care.

Even as they stared, the information download ended, and the helmet removed itself from Yui's head with a small hiss. They saw this, and after a moment, they also saw that the room had been mysteriously emptied since they'd gotten closer. Wait, no- her dad was still in here, leaning against the far wall, but clearly not intending to come closer, yet. She glanced over at Kazuto, who was also looking in her father's direction. He opened his mouth a little-

And her dad nodded, apparently knowing what he was about to ask.

Soon enough, they both just looked at each other, herself unsure.

But he smiled a little - and that was enough for her.

They looked at Yui again, hardly daring to believe, or hope that this was really happening. They'd dreamed of this day, and all three of them had been so excited, but to actually have it happening-

They both gasped; Yui's finger had twitched.

Once... twice... then her whole hand started to, and her eyebrows began furrowing slightly.

Fearing she was no longer gonna be able to stand (the shaking was getting worse), she barely managed to get around the table, clinging against Kazuto, who held her close as well. Still, he slowly held one hand over Yui's, and she clutched at his arm. Then Yui made a little sound - very weak, as if it hadn't been used before - but it still was enough that they smiled; it was her voice. And after an eternity, literally and figuratively, Yui's eyes slowly opened a bit - but it was clear her vision was still putting itself together, because she didn't recognize anything yet.

"Yui" she breathed weakly, her so full of emotion all she could really do was cry.

"You're here" he whispered weakly-but-with-hope, grasping Yui's hand gently, she reacting slightly to this. "Yui, it's us. Do you remember?"

Yui didn't answer right away. And in the meantime, her tears fell against his sleeve, but Kazuto merely held her closer - it was finally time.

Yui's eyes were fully open now, blinking slowly... then she breathed out, and her hand moved slightly against Kazuto's.

"Dad...dy-"

They both gasped hard.

Yui made a sound, slowly lighting up. "Mom... my-" she breathed, very faint and weak, but still unmistakably happy.

Next thing she knew, Yui was in her arms, her vision a teary blur - and all three of them just pressed together, shaking.

/

Needless to say, many _many_ tears were shed that hour, Yui practically hugged to death and liking it - that and the next stretch was a literal blur. Slowly, ever so slowly, Yui had gained strength and sat up - and had even began to walk near the end. As Asuna's father explained, preventing the deterioration of her body's strength had mostly been stopped, but not all of it... still, that was something they could easily fix. And more than that, he was just overjoyed to have Yui with them again, especially in the real world.

At the moment, he watched as Yui sat on a table, having readings taken of various things about her - her mother stayed very close, helping her by introducing her to some of the people who made this possible. Since it had been five years though, he and Asuna were at least a couple inches taller (while the virtual avatars hadn't changed at all), so Yui no longer reached their shoulders, but more a bit above the elbows now. But this hadn't discouraged Yui in the slightest, and he supposed that was because when you're a pixie, small differences in height like that ceased to be relevant or something.

"You did it, sir" he breathed softly.

Beside him, Shouzou observed Yui again, and the way she and Asuna laughed together. "It was the least I could do" he said gently, arms crossed. "And how could I not? You two practically begged us to."

He remembered that day... well, some more than his asking Shouzou to help bring Yui in.

"_Am I to understand that my daughter has been sleeping around-?"_

"_Woah, woah, it's not like that!" he'd protested to Kyouko, Asuna's mother. "We haven't been sex-crazed; it was one time!"_

"_As if I can believe that-"_

"_It's true, mom! It was one time, and after that, all we've done in there or out here is hold hands!"_

"_Maybe kiss a little" he added, but that hadn't helped._

"_**Anyway**, we're taking it slow, both of us – I want it to stay that way for awhile, and so does Kazuto."_

Mmh, yeah, that had been an extremely awkward talk – and Kyouko's seemingly unintentional cold impression didn't help matters. And yet, when he'd asked Shouzou about getting Yui into the real world (and Asuna agreed), the reality of them truly loving an adopted AI as their own daughter made some impression on her opinion.

"Well-" he breathed, back in the present and glancing down. "We both love Yui very much, sir."

"I never doubted that for a moment, when I heard the whole story, and pieced together the rest on my own" Shouzou said, but his lip only curved. "I only thought that a few of your comments were an exaggeration... but now, seeing her like this, it's clear you meant it; you really regard her as if she's your own."

He looked back at Yui, smiling. "That's because she is, sir" he said gently. "Maybe it's not by blood, but that doesn't change anything."

The older man looked at him, but it was with a small nod.

"One thing though-"

Shouzou glanced at him.

"Yui's body wasn't created in the traditional way" he said, faint, and a little embarrassed at first. "How exactly are things gonna work for her? Like puberty? Or her birthday progression for that matter?"

Looking back at Yui, the older man crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I will admit, those particular observations were complex to work out" he said. "Yui's body stats say she's around ten, but we've only needed five years to work things out - a miracle by all means."

"What does that mean?"

A small hum. "It means that, ultimately, unless something serious happens, Yui is gonna be exactly the way she is for the next five years, until her internal chronometer say she's actually age 10" he stated. "After that, she'll grow normally, as we all have done."

He gasped, looking at Yui, then at Shouzou. "Are you serious?" he asked, a little stunned; Yui was gonna stay like that for five more years? The older man nearly nodded, so he slowly looked over, amazed at all this. At about the same time, Asuna gently patted her daughter on the head, assuring her she'd be over there with her father + husband (or so he assumed, as she was pointing in their direction).

_"Crazy"_ he thought, but he still eased into Asuna's approach.

"Everything's checking out, almost perfectly" she breathed, overwhelmingly happy. "It's really happening!"

He took her hand, and this helped her, as did his smile.

"But it won't be without it's work" Shouzou observed, drawing their attention. "As I understand it, Yui has only experienced life in virtual reality - she could move, talk, eat, and experience things like normal that way. However, sleep is different than 'powering down'... and in addition, she wouldn't have experience with other bodily reactions."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The older man sighed, but faintly. "She wouldn't have experienced sweat, pain... or the inevitable results of eating and drinking, among other things" he finished with faint distaste. "In those respects, it'll be like she's a baby again."

In the back of his mind, he heard Asuna say that exact same line, way back when they'd first met Yui - despite his professional demeanor, he was definitely her father underneath. Still, he looked at Asuna slowly as she glanced down, "...I hadn't thought about that" she admitted. Then she glanced down further, before: "It's fairly logical though" she said stronger, then she smiled a little. "And we'll have to deal with it sooner or later, right?"

Discreetly glancing at her stomach, he smiled slightly after a moment. "Yeah" he said, then touched a finger to his chin. "And I guess, with Yui, it'd be good practice at the very least... for a certain definition of 'good'."

His comment made Asuna giggle a little.

"Hello-"

They all looked around; Yui stood there with a smile, hands behind her back. "-those nice people told me they finished the tests" she said softly.

"Cool" Asuna breathed, even as he smiled, before she made a little sound. "Oh, uh Yui?" she continued, gesturing toward her father. "This is my dad, which makes him your granddad."

He extended a hand. "Shouzou Yukki" he said gently. "Pleased to finally meet you, Yui."

Her expression brightened, and she took his hand in both of hers. "You're the one responsible for bringing me into the real world, aren't you, granddad?" she asked, and he nodded, with a small smile. This made the little girl's eyes fill with happy tears, and she rushed at him, wrapping her arms around him. He was surprised, but he returned the hug, bringing smiles from all of them.

Yui's couldn't have been brighter though.

* * *

><p>Not too long afterward, the three of them walked out, Yui holding both of their hands - and as they walked out, people who had seen them walk in the first time were confused by Yui.<p>

_"Well, let them wonder"_ she thought, watching her little girl observe everything with much interest.

At the same time, it had been heavily surprising when her father had pictures of them taken together; she knew he loved her, and that he'd love Yui, but that had been embarrassing!

They continued walking toward the door, where Yui saw the sunlight streaming in... however, when the door opened, the brightness intensified, instinctively causing her to throw a hand over her eyes. And she didn't blame her; the spike hurt her eyes for a moment as well.

Still, when they got outside, Yui breathed out in wonder.

By all accounts, the scene was a very mundane one: buildings littered the area around them, some tall, but most varying degrees of 'short', their steel structures gleaming slightly in the light. Criss-crossing in-between the buildings were the roads Kazuto had mentioned to Yui years ago, an almost jet-black in color with paint lines - and a vast array of signs on the sides. The air was filled with the sounds of drivers, whether going through intersections, the roar of engines from motorcycles, or that one coincidental incident where a driver had to brake angrily (and audibly). To her and her husband, this was just another uninteresting mechanized sight they were used to, but to Yui?

She looked at her, smiling at the wonder and curiosity on Yui's face.

"Wow" she whispered, hands together now, looking around. "So different... huh? And so many varieties!"

Seeing that last part directed at the multitude of cars going by, she giggled a little. "There's so many even we can't keep track" she said gently, drawing the little girl's attention. Kazuto also chuckled a little, but soon a thought struck him (she saw this), then he gasped a little.

"What?" she asked.

"My motorcycle" he said in a rush.

Yui blinked, tilting her head curiously, as she'd never seen a motorcycle before... however, she had, and got it instantly: "Yui can't cling to my back; she might fall-"

"And we don't have a third helmet" he said quickly, taking her hands. "She'd be at risk."

She breathed out, worried at the possibility. "Can you bring the car along?"

He nodded with a small smile, then he gently bent down, patting their daughter on the head. "I'll be back soon, I promise" he said gently. "Ten minutes or I owe you a ride on my back."

Her eyes brightened at that, and she giggled, even as she hugged her father. She watched on with a smile, then Kazuto gently detached himself from her, quickly running past them. "See you soon!" he called, getting onto his motorcycle and pulling out his helmet, which was parked against the wall. Yui watched the vehicle curiously, but jumped with alarm when it roared to life - muffler notwithstanding - instinctively clinging to her arm. Soon they were alone as he rode out-

Yui slowly looked up at her. "How does he hear anything with all that noise?" she asked.

She smiled, holding her daughter close. "Actually, it's less about hearing things, than it is about watching your surroundings at all times" she explained gently. "In front, to the sides, and behind you - all got to be watched constantly, while at the same time actually driving it."

She made a sound, smiling for a moment, curious/excited/confused all at once, then: "What did he mean 'at risk' though?"

"Well, even with experience, any bad luck could lead to accidents" she breathed, moving her fingers through Yui's hair. "Even at the slower speeds, these vehicles still have great power... so if we're not careful, we could get hurt."

"And that's the reason for the helmet?" she asked, cutely mimicking putting one on.

She smiled, nodding. "Only for motorcycles and bikes though; cars don't need them" she said. "They have other means for protection."

"Like what?"

"You'll see one of them soon" she assured, "Don't worry."

/

_A little while later_

Well, he'd made good on his promise of ten minutes, he was sure - but even as he pulled into the parking lot, he could see Asuna pointing and talking at the street, no doubt explaining things. Yui was just a little bundle of happiness and curious excitement, which made him smile; that's his girl.

He jolted; how had he adjusted that fast? Then he remembered: he'd had five years to adjust to Yui as his daughter, so he easily thought of her as such. It was just the reality of taking care of her every need now - like a real child brought into this world - that he'd have to adjust to.

Anyway, knowing that the lot was empty and otherwise not in standard business hours just yet, he didn't bother to park properly. Even as he parked/turned off the car, he could feel Asuna's small exasperation at this even from here, but he ignored it cheerfully. "Hey, I'm back" he spoke, looking at the curious Yui.

"You made great time, daddy" she said gently.

"Yeah, I did" he said, before lowering himself down to her level, back-first. "But I'm giving you that ride on my back anyway, so hop on!"

"Ahahaha!"

Within a second, she'd jumped onto his back, hands around his neck, all of which he adjusted to. "Hang on" he said, before standing up ("Woah!"). "Here we go!"

"Ahhh! Ahahahahahahahaaa! Go daddy go!"

He ran all over creation, straight, zig-zag, sudden turns, you name it - Asuna merely watched, but it was happily at the way they were both laughing.

Still, after three minutes, he made sure to skid to a stop right next to the car itself. Even as he looked at it, he remembered how he'd bargained to have it be this dull-black color; basically when it broke down/gave out/whatever, then she'd have exclusive control over the next one's color, and he'd have to endure it, no complaints whatsoever. He smiled at this, even as Yui looked over his left shoulder, breathing out with a little 'Ohhh'. And discreetly, he saw Asuna walking around the back, right to the other side.

"You like?" he asked Yui gently.

"Mmh-hm" she breathed, smiling. "It looks so sleek and big - but, are all the parts underneath this metal?"

"Basically, Yui" Asuna said gently, drawing their daughter's attention. "Though, I don't know about this one being sleek-"

"Hey..."

"-or big, as there are a lot of other models out there" she continued softly, as if his little irritation hadn't happened. "But it does well for us, and we both like it; hopefully you will just as much."

That got her to smile, before a thought occurred to her. "You once said they were faster than you were in SAO, mommy" she said. "How fast can they go?"

Asuna slowly glanced up, thinking before: "Well, the average max is about 120 miles per hour" she said mildly. "140 for some others."

He smirked a bit when this surprised Yui. "If you think that's fast, just wait till you see those specialized race-car models" he said playfully. "Those can go up to 300 miles per hour."

By instinct, Yui's hands came up to her mouth, really really surprised and staring at him. He kinda liked the look, and let it all sink in, before he slowly and gently lowered her back down to the ground. "But our little car isn't like that, and we're getting in soon" he added, more gentle this time, gesturing at the side door. Yui looked over the handle curiously, briefly looked at him (he nodded), then slowly and experimentally gripped/opened it. The first try surprised her because of the noise, but she got it on the second... however, he shared a worried look with Asuna over the struggle to move the door. They gotta make sure to build up her muscles overtime...

Anyway, even as Yui breathed over the look of the car, Asuna got in beside at the passenger seat (teaching her about/how to use the seat-belt). He got in as well, giving them a few seconds before he turned the car back on, Yui jumping slightly at the noise.

"Hang on back there" he said mildly, once he was sure both women were settled in, they he got themselves out of the parking lot.

Yui made a sound as the world moved in her window, then she smiled, leaning against the seat. "This steady vibration - it's really relaxing" she breathed softly, mouth open a little as she enjoyed it.

He could practically see Asuna light up even more at that, and he smiled as well - next he'd introduce her to the joys of having the window down.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm aware this story is similar to 'Welcome to Earth, Yui', but in my defense, I didn't know that one was coming until it did... hehe XD Despite that, I hope you'll enjoy the family tale anyway.<strong>


	2. Home

**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own Sword Art Online in any form, or any of it's characters._

**Rating:** T

**Really nothing to add; enjoy**

* * *

><p><em>RL<em>

_The family's home_

"Ahhhhhahhaa! Wow!"

That being the sound of Yui gasping in joy over their house, which while not a log cabin, was a pretty good place. It was two-storied, a bit spacy for that size, and otherwise had been modified by it's previous owner with a lot of small-but-important upgrades. It even overlooked a small lake about two hundred feet away.

She smiled, still overjoyed to see Yui this excited. "Come on, let's go inside" she said gently, holding her hand. "It's where you live now too."

The little girl's eyes sparkled like you wouldn't believe; it was just so cute and gah! But still, Yui nodded, letting her mommy pull her along, even as Kazuto worked to get the keys. Yui briefly watched as he turned the lock, then she opened the door (both the heavy one and the 'screen' one), gesturing for Yui to go in first, which she gladly did.

"Ah – it's so big!" she breathed in wonder, looking around the place, her gaze lingering on this picture-frame of their wedding day photos.

"I-It's not that big" Kazuto said, modest, but still happy. "And maybe it isn't our little house in the forest, but we're happy here too."

"Do I have my own room!?"

"You sure do" she said cheerfully, Yui almost squeeing. "Though I admit, it's not nearly done yet – we didn't expect my dad to finish bringing you into the real world today."

"That's okay, mommy" she said, smiling with a little blush. "That's even better; if it's my own room, I should do the way I want it, right? Isn't that how it works?"

She nodded, only for Yui to stumble with an 'Ooh!' - just before she fell, she quickly caught her. "Yui!" she breathed, worried.

"That's so strange" she said, a little weaker, but more confused than anything. "Suddenly I feel weaker..."

Kazuto got on one knee beside her. "Maybe it's because she hasn't eaten" he said carefully. "I mean think about it; Yui's body was kept alive through who-knows-what processes for years... and now that she's been disconnected, after the initial burst of happiness and energy, her body needs fuel."

"Don't we have some of that mac & cheese left in the fridge?" she asked intently, to which he nodded, getting up.

"Just sit Yui down; I'll heat it up" he called, hurrying into the kitchen.

She nodded, then holding Yui close to her, picked her up carefully. "What's that, mommy?" she asked, just a little tired.

"A sort of noodles" she said gently, bringing her to the table, and helping her sit down. "Initially stiff, they're cooked in water to soften them up, then thoroughly mixed with cheese, milk, and butter."

Yui smiled, curious and excited, and was briefly startled by the sound of the microwave (Kazuto heating it up) – she quickly assured her that it was a normal thing, though that didn't stop the glances. "I'm not sure I know what all that tastes like" she breathed, before softening even more. "But, if you made it mommy, I'll try it."

Once again, the happiness became overwhelming, and her vision tried to blur with tears again. She settled for hugging Yui tightly, who happily returned it.

When they finally let go, a ding rang not a second later, surprising Yui briefly, but even more when the wafting smell reached her. "Ahhaha! Wow, that smells good!" she said brightly, looking at the bowl as Kazuto put it down, though briefly distracted by the spoon he offered.

"Eat up" he said enthusiastically.

Yui took it with a giggle, poking into the mac & cheese, and looking over her spoonful close-up – then she slowly nibbled on one noodle, then the entire thing.

Second later: "Oh-_This is so great!_"

To say Yui dug into her food would be an understatement; she had bits of sauce stuck to her face after only seconds. And she didn't mind, basically squeeing close-mouthed over how good it tasted, and leaving her parents with their own sparkling looks.

/

"Ah" Yui breathed, hands pressed against the window, looking out over the lake - the latest object of her curiosity after the initial house tour (familiarity would come later). "It's so pretty, just like the ocean in Alfhiem."

"It certainly is" she noted, she and Kazuto standing on either side of Yui, basking in her excitement as they had been doing.

Then Yui looked up at her. "Can we go swimming?" she asked, smiling. "Like we did all the time?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea-"

"Huh?" Yui breathed, surprised when Kazuto bent down beside her.

He smiled a bit. "Don't get me wrong; we'd love to do that again" he said gently. "But unlike in ALO, at least at the moment, you don't have anything else to wear but what you have on right now."

"Plus" she added softly. "Swimming gradually wears out fabric like this, much faster than the aging from time; something that wasn't quite programmed in SAO or ALO."

A little sad, but mostly surprised, Yui glanced at the dress she was wearing, her fingers curling over the fabric. Then she smiled a little: "I wouldn't want to ruin the dress that I was born in." she noted softly, and a little shyly, before going 'Oh!' at Kazuto's hand on her head.

He merely smiled more. "That's my girl" he said gently (Yui blushed slightly for a moment), "But don't worry; we'll still have fun today."

"Like what?"

Then Kazuto glanced up at her. "Asuna, remember that book we got recently?" he said, in a knowing tone.

Yui was curiously confused, but she got it within seconds; "Be right back" she called, already running, before coming back a minute later. In her hands she held a fairly-sized book, titled _'Major Animals Across the World'_.

"What's that?" Yui breathed, stepping closer and looking at the cover.

"Basically, a picture book to show you all about many of the animals in our world" Kazuto said, before sitting down on the couch, offering Yui's spot to her. "Maybe it's not like seeing them first-hand, but it'll do for now. And we're gonna teach you about them."

Yui's eyes/expression lit up, and she was quick to get on the couch, sitting by her father (and happier when her mother joined in on the other side). "This is so exciting!" she breathed, nearly beside herself. "I've heard about a lot of animals, and seen a few pictures, but there was never a lot about them on the servers!"

"And that's about to change" she said with approval, opening the book herself (Kazuto held it underneath his hand). "It's not quite in any kind of order, but I doubt that'll matter. Now let's see- ah, here's a good way to start:"

"Ahaha! They're whales!" she breathed with excitement, fingers moving over the pictures, no doubt remembering the one she'd ridden after that underwater quest. "Huh? Wait, why do they all look so different?"

"Well, there are many kinds of whales" Kazuto said mildly, but gentle. "We only saw the one after that quest."

A little surprise, then she leaned forward, even more curious. "Do all animals have different forms?"

He smiled. "Well, not _all_ of them, but quite a few" he said in a fairly playful tone, to which Yui giggled at.

"But they're still so big!" she breathed, her fingers tracing over a scaled picture of how big a human was to a whale - basically that their head was smaller than the whale's eyes. Imagine how big it had seemed in her pixie form. "But - what do they eat?"

"Basically, lots and lots of these tiny fish" she said softly. "Whales have no teeth, but that isn't usually a problem, as they aren't aggressive-"

"At all" Kazuto finished, to her little jolt, but she wasn't really annoyed; Yui just giggled.

"Now then, onto sharks-"

/

_Later that night_

"*really big yawn* ...but I don't wanna go to sleep yet... mmm..."

He smiled softly, looking at the nodding-off Yui on his back, who was trying not to fall asleep yet. She'd basically had the best day yet, even if it was by learning so much, and worn out her body's energy. _"Still, she's adorable"_ he thought, keeping her up gently. Beside him, Asuna basically couldn't stop sparkling, at least with her eyes.

Yui continued to blink slowly, before she made a different sound. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Yui?"

"I think something's wrong..."

He blinked, glanced at Asuna before back at Yui, feeling her legs started to move uncertainly on her back. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like I'm... full, or something" she breathed, unsure. "And the longer it's there, the more pressure slowly builds up."

He slowly got it, looking over at Asuna. "The water she drank" he said simply.

She slowly nodded, then gently caressed her daughter's cheek. "Yui?" she whispered softly, to her daughter's sleepy 'Hmm?", "I can help you take care of that, alright?"

"Okay."

Gently helping her down to the ground, Yui's legs instinctively moved closer together above the knees, which she sorta-noticed. However, before she could say anything, Asuna gently led them to the bathroom.

He watched them walk away for a little, then moved to the bedroom, where he made sure everything was ready. And aside from a few wrinkles, which weren't that big of a deal, everything was set – so he slowly sat on the edge.

"She's here" he said to the empty room. "She's really here. Whatever's out there; thank you."

Nothing answered, but he slowly lay down on the bed, hands behind his back, just content. About a minute later, after he'd settled in on one side, he heard them down the hall:

_"That seems really gross, mommy..."_

_"It is."_

_"How do you deal with it?"_

_"Basically, we get used to it, because we have to – but don't worry, no one really likes it either."_

Asuna opened the door, leading her inside – and part of Yui's sleepiness seemed to have been pushed back, for now at least. "Huh- aren't you taking me to my room?"

"We will, tomorrow" he said gently, to her surprise. "But for tonight, we'd like it if you slept with us. Is that cool?"

Yui breathed out, cheeks turning a little red, and her fingers began tapping together. "I-I don't want to cause you two any trouble" she stammered a bit, but happily.

"Nonsense, Yui" Asuna breathed beside her.

"Yeah" he agreed, before gesturing right beside him. "We want you up here tonight, come on."

"Ahaha" she breathed, excited, before she pretty much clamored up the bed – it took a little adjusting, but soon she was snuggled in the middle, with himself on the right side of the bed. And then a little more adjusting, and Asuna snuggled in beside Yui, putting her in-between them, but no less loved by both of them.

"Mommy" she breathed softly, trying to curl closer to both of them. "Daddy."

"Yui" Asuna whispered, happy, her arm moving closer up his shoulder, giving him a brief sparkling look. He didn't say her name, but he smiled, kissing his daughter's cheek.

/

_Next morning, November 3, 2030_

Nmm.. ufm

Still half-asleep like that, all he could think was 'Mmm, cozy'.

But of course, even with his eyes closed and half-asleep, he slowly got a feel for the situation. He was on his side, a hand somewhere near his hip (well, fingers actually), and another pair which were wrapped around his neck. And there was a steady stream of breathing, both against his neck, and less so against his forehead. Some part of him said that wasn't normal, but before it got out of control, he relaxed as he remembered. Then he just felt content, happy that Yui was here with them now.

As soon as his moment ended, Yui stirred against his neck – she was beginning to wake up, he realized. He wondered if he should open his eyes, but thought that could wait; let Yui realize what's it like to really wake up, and that her dream was now a reality. But he did smile, making it look like he was still asleep. Seconds passed by, Yui slowly detaching herself and part of the blankets from him, making a sleepy sound here and there (and a very cute yawn+stretch motion).

When she gasped, it was hard not to react.

He couldn't see it, but Yui's gasp at been the realization that all this had happened; that she was in the real world, with both her parents. Another little (happy) gasp, then he distinctively felt a small drop touch the sheets, before there was a hurried moment to wipe them away. He was still happy; they'd all worked hard and hoped for this day, so she deserved that moment of happiness.

Tears or not, Yui just sat between them both for awhile, or so he assumed... then she slowly leaned forward. He heard the sound of a slight kiss, and seconds later, it was his turn, hesitant and soft against his cheek.

Seriously, her adorableness was off the scale.

After that, he allowed himself to start stirring, trying to make it look like he was still freshly waking up. This startled Yui, but before she could hurry back under the covers, he had opened his eyes – vision was blurred for a moment, then it focused. He looked at Yui for a little, before he smiled. "Hey" he breathed softly.

"I-I'm sorry" she whispered, sounding worried. "I didn't mean to wake you up daddy..."

"I was already half-awake anyway" he said easily, in a whisper, surprising Yui (who blushed faintly when he took her hand). "And I wouldn't have minded anyway" he assured softly.

She smiled, taking his hand in both of hers, before she promptly threw herself at him in a hug. While surprised, he felt how tightly she held him, shaking (with happiness), so he held her close with a smile.

Across from him, Yui's action had pushed Asuna's leg, which jolted her enough that she'd started to wake up. Her first instinct was to look at him, eyes half-lidded, not sure of what she was seeing... but her gaze softened when she saw the two of them together, especially so close to her. She merely rested her head there for awhile, keeping the smile.

/

_Little later_

*sigh* Why him?

Well, basically, while Asuna had handled Yui having to go earlier (other end this time), she'd made sure he wasn't gonna flack on doing some of this himself... before he'd even objected at that. Still, he thought this might be the beginning of being-a-mother jitters (the full reality of being one), or those mood swings he'd heard of... no wait, that was when she was pregnant, which had yet to happen as-far-as-he-knew.

"Something wrong, daddy?"

Lip curving a bit, standing outside the bathroom, he merely glanced inside. "Just thinking" he merely said, before: "And anyway, I'll be teaching you how to draw a bath."

"Hmm?" she breathed, blinking. "What for?"

"Well, every day in the real world, our bodies release these liquids on our skin as we go about our days" he said, Yui looking at her hands as he did so. "We can't really see it or feel it much, but it does happen – and if they build up, they begin to smell. So anyone who has a nose might get the wrong impression about you if something isn't done."

"I don't want that" she said, worried. "Though, I don't know how bad the smells are."

He smiled. "With luck, you'll never have to" he said, before stepping inside (she followed instinctively). "We never want to smell bad smells for a reason" he continued, before: "Now then-"

He was gentle, on his knees with Yui close by, pointing out the hot and cold water knobs, as well as how to keep the water from going down the drain - he didn't have to teach her about the towels, due to their virtual days at the beach. She listened with curious fascination, but while he was testing the water temperature, the inevitable thought occurred to her, with a lot of red. "But that means I'll have to be... naked" she said, very shy.

He slowly sighed. "Yes" he said faintly.

Seeing his daughter blanch, he rubbed his head with his other hand. "But don't worry! I'm not gonna watch you take off anything or see you like that!" he said quickly. "I'm just here to show you how things work! Like this!"

Yui's cheeks were still red, but she slowly looked at what he now held: a bar of soap.

"After you've gotten yourself watered up" he said in a hurry, hoping not to make this any more awkward than it already was. "You dip this soap in the water, then rub it over your body – basically everywhere below your neck, and your hands" he continued, miming the process.

That helped Yui a bit, taking it from him when he'd finished, and being interested in the smell (possibly jasmine; he wasn't sure).

He smiled a little, before taking the bottle nearby. "And this is shampoo; you use it for your hair, but there's a little trick to using it" he continued. "Get some onto your hand, rub it against your hands-"

/

"Mmm-hmm-hm-mm-hm."

So she hummed under her breath, just more nonsense-like than it sounded – before her, she worked with a large bit of batter, trying to make sure they were just right. In the background, she'd heard the bathtub water running for awhile now, to which she smiled at.

_"You'll do fine, Kazuto"_ she thought mischievously.

However, soon the water-running sound turned off, which she noticed – but she still focused on working the batter.

The door opening was a surprise though.

"Hmm?" she breathed, further confused when she didn't hear it close again, just creak near shut. "Everything okay up there?" she asked from her spot.

A mild pause, then Kazuto's head leaned over the corner of the stairs, keeping himself close to Yui and her at the same time. "Perfectly" he said, mild. "I just explained everything, and am letting Yui try it all on her own – if she needs my help, I'm right here."

She slowly smirked a little, discreetly keeping an eye on what she was doing. "You're afraid, aren't you?" she teased.

He smirked back, with that look of his. "Nah, I just want to avoid getting a kick out of this situation" he said, tilting his head. "She's our little girl after all, and she's old enough to be modest; I respect that."

"That first part was just tasteless, and that second part is barely acceptable" she noted dourly, before softening. "But, if we have kids somewhere in the future, you're not gonna be able to avoid seeing them naked forever, you know" she continued, slowly touching a hand to her stomach.

He glanced down as well, the smirk softening, before looking back at her. "I know that" he said softly. "Really, I do; I'd just prefer to avoid making Yui nervous. She hasn't had these first experiences when she was younger after all."

"Well, lucky for you" she said mildly, flipping a pancake again. "With breakfast soon, and shopping later today, you won't have to deal with it for awhile."

"Heh heh" he breathed, with a little smile, before casting a not-so-subtle look at the pancake batter - then he left with a smirk.

Yeah, let him; luckily for him she liked cooking for this growing family.

/

Moving slightly on the spot, he tried to find other ways of passing time, least on the small scale. The water had long since stopped running, Yui having turned it off (after what sounded like a slippery start), and he'd only heard the small splashes as she'd washed herself for the first time. Though that had since stopped about two minutes ago, and he could hear the water draining even now. But she was still drying, so he was still waiting - but he did smile a little. Then he remembered the conversation they'd had through the door, while Yui bathed (and after he told her to talk and clean herself at the same time).

Basically, he'd asked her how she felt about sleep.

_"I don't know" she'd said to him. "As an AI, I was always going through data, even while in sleep mode, or spreading my processes through the servers... but now, I can't do either of those. It's like I'm suddenly losing time that could be better spent."_

_"It would seem like that" he admitted, but smiled to himself. "However, sleep still has a purpose, of course."_

_"What's that, daddy?"_

_"Well uh, as we go about our days, dealing with all sorts of situations, we tend to build up this sort of... mental tension, I guess you could call it. You could compare it to a steadily-increasing set of weights we have to struggle against. Most of the time we barely even notice it."_

_"...but only because you sleep every day?"_

_"Yeah, that's it" he said easily. "Sleep is a way of repairing 'damage' like that, and causing us to start the next day fresh. Without it, well... after awhile things can get ugly."_

_He'd definitely heard a sound at that, then: "Still, daddy, it seems like lost time to me."_

_"Well, in that case, you're not alone" he'd assured her. "And I don't just mean mommy and me."_

_"Definitely a lot of things she'll be getting used to"_ he admitted to himself in his thoughts, but smiling. _"But we're on vacation now, and will help her get the important stuff down first. The rest will come with time and experience."_

_Creak_

He glanced beside him, watching the door open just enough, and Yui stuck her head through the door. "Daddy, do I have to dry my hair all the way?" she wondered. "I'm doing it as you showed me, but it's taking a lot of effort."

He smiled a bit more. "That's actually kinda natural" he said gently, to her surprise. "Water clings to hair, really really well, and using the towel can only get so much out. So don't worry too much about it; your hair will air-dry itself over the next two hours, maybe three."

She slowly nodded, smiling before she closed the door again - probably to get dressed. So he waited again for a small stretch, then the door opened again, Yui clothed in her white dress.

"Okay then" she said softly. "I'm done."

"With the bath" he acknowledged, before smiling and gesturing into the bathroom. "May we?"

Yui was surprised, but still willing. "What else is there to do?"

"A number of smaller things" he said, looking around before he found it; Asuna's comb. She probably wouldn't mind it being used for a day, so he held it in front of a curious Yui. "For instance, this comb, which is used to help smooth out your hair."

"Oh" she breathed, taking it, curiously happy. "To make ourselves look pretty?"

"More-or-less."

"Can I try?"

"Be my guest, Yui" he said gently, before he mimed holding one himself. "And you'll get better results by holding one end, rather than from the middle."

Even as he said it though, he was already thinking ahead to the teeth-brushing, as well as what to say about the gums, and general teeth cleaning questions she could ask.

* * *

><p><em>On the road; two hours later<em>

_"Ah, a showoff as usual."_

Why? Well, here she was driving this time, Yui in the front seat – and her father on the motorcycle directly beside their car. Luckily for them all, they were fast approaching the mall.

Still, Yui got a kick out of watching him, and waving back. "My daddy's the best" she said, practically beaming, before making a sound when Kazuto sped up ahead of them, moving to get the best position to enter the parking lot first.

"He's certainly daring" she agreed, turning the wheel a little to get into the same lane. "Too bad for him that this drive is a short one."

"What are we shopping for, mommy?"

She smiled, glancing at Yui for a moment. "In a sense, you, Yui" she said softly, to the girl's surprise ("Me?"). "New clothes for you, highlights for your room, and other things we need."

"T-That's not necessary" she argued, but with cute worry. "I mean, I'm happy just being with you and daddy."

"I know" she said softly, moving into the turn, and now into the parking space. "But we insist" she added, turning off the car, and getting out. Outside though, having parked right beside where she had, Kazuto took off his helmet with a small smile.

"You know this burns up gas money" she said to him, fairly mild, even as Yui gently wrapped herself around her arm.

"I just thought Yui deserved a chance at the front seat, seeing the driver in action from there" he said, equally mild, making sure his motorcyle was all set. "Besides, it's not gonna be a regular thing, us taking separate vehicles" he continued in his fairly-serious tone, before standing on Yui's right, taking her hand. "Now, shall we?"

They all smiled in response. "Let's" she answered.

/

As you might guess, Yui's endless curiosity abounded in that store, even if most of it was normal to them – the little girl's excitement/happiness simply never made it old. But of course, first things first:

"Kazuto, it's your turn for food duty" she said mischievously, handing him the list. He just groaned, but took it with a resigned grumbling 'Fine, fine' before walking off. Yui made a little sound, looking up at her, but she smiled, patting her daughter's head with her other hand. "Don't worry, Yui; he'll be back soon" she said gently, before pulling her along. "It's just easier this way."

"Easier?" she questioned.

"Yeah, your father gets the food in a big cart, while we get clothes that we can carry ourselves – when we meet back up, they all go in the cart" she explained, before stopping in front of the clothes section. Yui herself was surprised that they stopped, but even more so when she saw the rows and rows of clothing choices ('Ah'), hands in front of her mouth.

"There's so many..."

"There's no rush" she said soothingly. "We'll narrow them down based on what can fit you, then by what you like – with as many or as little as you prefer."

That helped, but clearly this would take awhile.

Even so, time flew as they looked, first establishing Yui's general size and such, then finding clothes that were actually close to that size. And as they searched, Yui's worry went away, and she began to marvel over the designs, colors, and sheer diversity of them all. So many back-and-forth trips to the nearby changing room later, she'd already found a shirt with bunnies on it (not the fluffy little cartoon versions; realistic ones), a dull-black skirt that matched her hair, and a few other things. Even had this cute little flower clip for her hair, which reminded her of her pixie self from ALO (so cute).

And while Yui was doing that, she was nearby, finding pairs of underwear, a few shoes-and-socks, a swimsuit and such that would fit her (and she'd like). Though it had also been a little embarrassing when, by instinct, she'd reached for the training bras.

_"Yui may be ten, but she'll stay ten for awhile - no need for those just yet"_ she'd told herself.

At one point during the process, holding a bunch of stuff in her hands, Yui made a sound. "You sure I have to wear these though, mommy?" she asked, moving her feet in response.

"I'm afraid it's the rule" she said, but understanding; she knew Yui loved being barefoot. "Any official places like this demand we be fully clothed, including shoes, or they don't allow us in. But that rule doesn't apply in our house."

That helped a little, and Yui nodded, quickly going inside the changing room again. She smiled a bit, leaning against the rack slightly-

"Well, someone's taking their time."

Jolted, she looked around, seeing her (smirking) husband standing feet away, dragging a cart full of food with one hand behind him.

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Exactly this" he admitted, slowly giving her the list, which had crossed everything out. "But it's funner to snark at it anyway" he continued, un-surprised when she moved to verify that the cart had everything for herself-

A slight Grr, then: "You forgot the spices!"

Still smirking, he pulled a few small bottles out of his pockets, holding them up before her.

A little irritated, she took them from him and forcefully put them back on the cart. "If you'd tried that at the counter, you could have gotten us in trouble!"

"But I wouldn't have pulled anything" he merely said, stepping closer. "Besides, haven't you seen how overfilled that cart is? I thought it'd save space that way."

"That's not the point, Kazuto" she breathed, though still blushing a little when he got really close.

The smirk softened. "No, but this is" he whispered, kissing her right on the edge of her lip, intentionally teasing her.

Blushing, happier, she merely smiled a little. "You know we're in public" she told him softly, chiding.

He opened his mouth-

"Tell me about it!"

Jolted, both of them, they turned toward the source – Klein, who merely grinned knowingly.

"Klein! What are you doing here?" her husband wondered, while she was just embarrassed that he'd seen that little exchange.

"Well first, erasing that affection from my memory" he said, shrugging. "And also, wondering why you're shopping in this section of the store. I thought if you were to do that, you'd start at the bottom and work your way up."

She jolted again, sharing a glance with Kazuto; they hadn't yet told him or their other friends about Yui being in the real world!

"Well, uh-" they both said at the same time, just as the door behind them opened.

"What do you think, mommy?" Yui said, twirling a little on her new outfit (a light green dress, adorned with the picture of a pod of whales), smiling brightly. "Huh, daddy?" she breathed, even happier, before the real surprise. "Klein!"

"Hey there, Yui" he greeted easily (her parents stared at him). "Just having a chat with your par-Wait, Yui!?"

Yui ignored the sudden recognition reaction, rushing forward and giving him a hug, which he returned by instinct alone. "It's so great to see you again, and in person!" she said brightly, looking up at him and still hugging.

Blinking, mouth open, "Ah, yeah, likewise kiddo" he said, before jolting. "Wait a minute, is this real? Ow, okay that hurt more than in ALO" he continued, having pinched his arm before he looked at them. "But, this is the real world guys!"

A sweat-drop ran down both their heads. "T-That's a long story, Klein" she admitted.

He then brightened, having gotten an idea. "I don't need to hear it right now though" he said, with a little smirk as he gently pushed a surprised Yui to stand by them, while he put his arms around them, camera phone out. "But the guys and gals all need to see this ASAP, so smile!"

No one really did; everyone but Klein was too busy looking at him. Yui's face was all curiosity about his phone, Kazuto's was just a faint -_- look, and hers might have been slightly worried - this was happening kinda fast, whatever he was doing.

Click and a flash later, which surprised Yui (and had her vision blinking), he was soon grinning. "Well, see you for the party!" he said, before promptly jetting.

"Wait, Klein!" Kazuto yelled after him, but only ended up addressing his dust, causing him to grunt.

"A party?" Yui wondered, tilting her head. "I wonder what for? And what was that he held?" she continued, before making a sound, cutely confused. "And what does 'ASAP' mean?"

She made a little sound, but her husband was faster in recovering, taking Yui's hand. "I think I can explain those on the way to the room decorations area" he said, getting better as he went, before smiling. "That is, if we're both done here."

She gave him a little look at that, while Yui cast a quick glance at the cart (which was stuffed to the brim), looking it over and the various things with curiosity.

* * *

><p><strong>Her adorableness is off the scale; that is all XD<strong>


	3. Preparations

**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own Sword Art Online in any form, or any of it's characters._

**Rating:** T

**Really nothing to add; enjoy**

* * *

><p><em>RL<em>

_November 4, 2030_

_Their house_

She held her hands together, looking out the window at the nearby lake, smiling contently to herself.

"Mmh... uoh."

Well, about time someone got up.

"Mmm... huh, Asuna?"

"Right over here" she breathed gently, almost able to see him looking in her direction, and the doubtless surprise that she was still in her nightgown. Still, he got up gently, slowly walking around to just behind her - then he slipped his arms around her waist. She merely smiled more, leaning her head against his, swaying slightly on the spot.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he breathed.

"It's kinda serious for the morning" she breathed back, but gently.

"Mmm, playful serious, or really serious?"

"Really serious" she whispered softly. "But not a bad thing either."

"Then let's hear it" he whispered back, intentionally in her ear, which made her shiver (he knew that was a good spot for her). That and light toying with the fabric of her nightgown was his order of playful for this morning.

"Remember when we talked about our little family?" she asked, heart pounding, but loving the small attention. "How it was gonna be us and Yui in the real world someday?"

"Yeah, of course I do."

"Did we ever talk about... more?"

His toying paused, but to her surprised relief, there was no actual shock... then he moved himself slightly, getting more into a position where she could see him better, but still pressed against her back. "You mean, to give Yui a little sibling, right?" he breathed, to which she slowly nodded, her cheeks red. "I don't think we did, not fully at least."

Making a sound, she put her hand over his toying wrist. "What do you think Yui's reaction would be?"

He didn't answer for a bit. "I think... it'd be one of two things" he said honestly. "One, that she'd love the idea - or two, that she wouldn't be sure about it, because she's honestly perfectly happy with just the three of us."

"You mean, that she might not like it?" she breathed, worried.

"At worst" he admitted, but then he smiled. "Yui is completely against hating anyone or anything, and I think that even then, in time, she'd grow to love her new sibling. You know, after we talk, and if she agrees."

She smiled back, making a sound as she nodded, then she kissed him lovingly - which he easily returned. "When do you think we should talk to her about this?" she whispered softly, eyes closed, just leaning against him.

"Maybe in a few days, though I vote for after our vacation" he said gently, his fingers going through hers, though the other one continued it's toying - particularly in making her shy, now working it's way under her nightgown. "But either way, we got some time."

She slowly nodded, closing her eyes, just leaning against him. As a result, she missed the grin that appeared then, his hand just below her stomach now.

"But until then-"

She squeaked loudly when his hand moved, face red and eyes snapping open, legs instinctively coming together above the knees in response.

"K-Kazuto!"

"What? Yui's still asleep-"

"And if she just walks in!? Ah!"

"My senses are still ultra-sharp; I'd sense her opening the door if nothing else."

"Shut - oh! - s-shut up!"

Luckily for them, the little girl was (surprisingly) a bit of a heavy sleeper; don't know where that came from.

/

_Hospital_

_Later in the day_

Yeah, he totally took her, and made her scream his name to high heaven.

Well, not really, because he had been playfully teasing the entire time anyway - though he'd learned that when it came to surprise 'attacks' like that, the bigger the pleasure (or maybe just chance of being exposed), the less she was pleased about it. Still, she hadn't been so mad that she'd completely forgone her usual affection later that morning, so that was something.

Beside him, Yui looked around the lobby, wrapped around his arm. "This place looks so big from the outside" she breathed. "But it seems smaller in here."

"Well, that's just because there's a lot of rooms and walls; they don't use all the space right here in this one" he said gently, bringing up the paperwork to the lobbyist. A short read-over later - and slight shock - then they quickly got things moving, at least compared to the usual. _"Yeah, that's right; the Yuuki family has some influence"_ he thought, glad they were cutting through some of the red tape stuff.

Still beside him, Yui hummed at that, but kept looking around. "Why is everything mostly white?" she asked, looking up at him. "Much as I like that color" she added quickly.

"Well, they think it's one of the more soothing colors, Yui" he said, after a moment of thought while waiting. "And since this is where people come when they get hurt, that's what they're going for."

She made a sound, even as he led her forward. "So this is a sad place" she said, leaning closer against him, as if scared.

He instinctively picked her up ('Uh!'), sweeping her into a hug in his arms. "Hey, everyone here is skilled at healing" he said gently, "They work hard to save people who are injured. Yes, sometimes they can't help... but the number of people who recovered owe them their lives. So it's also a happy place too, okay?"

She slowly smiled, nodding, arms around his neck. "Okay, daddy" she breathed, leaning against his head, making him smile.

"Uh, excuse me-"

He looked over from his hug, as did Yui; a blonde woman had come to lead them.

"-this way, please."

"Sure" he breathed, gently putting Yui down but taking her hand, which she held onto with a little smile as they walked. It was mostly uneventful, except when he noticed the woman looking at him oddly:

"What?" he asked.

"Is she yours?"

A small glance at Yui, getting an idea, "Yeah, why?"

"Well it's just that, according to your records, you're only twenty-two, and she looks about eight or more. Forgive me, but... that adds up disturbingly" the nurse said, with an expression fairly matched to this.

"Well don't worry" he said cheerfully. "It isn't like that at all."

This had only confused her, but she couldn't get the full story, as they had arrived at the room - so, nonplussed, she allowed them in and left. And while they went through the standard waiting period, he had Yui sit on the 'bed-chair-whatever-it-was' thing, while he sat in the normal chair... and teased Yui by poking the very front of her shoes, where her toes were, to her little squeak (and pout, which he enjoyed).

A short while later, he met the doctor (name of Yuwell, or it sounded like it), and who struck him as a straightforward man.

And he was, getting straight to the point, holding up his clipboard. "So as I understand it, you and your wife Asuna Yuuki have adopted Yui?"

"Yes, sir."

"And yet you have no paperwork."

"Nope" he said mildly, even blithely. "We didn't adopt her from the real world, sir."

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"Not at all, but Shouzou Yuuki is willing to pay you and your entire staff a lot to let that go" he said, with a little smirk as he offered the check. "All you need do is to give Yui a full exam, establish birth records, current records, and other such standard procedures for our needs. Are you in?"

Beside him, Yui listened with curious confusion even as the doctor tried to figure out if he was joking or not, looking between the both of them. After that, the doctor finally determined that he wasn't joking, and slowly took the check... then shock ran all throughout that straightforward manner: "Uh... I, uh- you can't be-"

"I am serious, doc" he said easily, standing beside him. "That check's yours to do with as you please; all you gotta do is establish her (he gestured at Yui) records from scratch, no questions asked. Okay?"

It took him a little, but he straightened and held his clipboard up quickly, in an attempt to maintain his dignity. "Uh... full name, miss Yui?"

"Oh" she breathed, a little surprised, before she slowly leaned forward a bit. "Well... Mental Health Counseling Program 001, Codename: Yui" she breathed, a little nervous.

He expected the doc's general 'what-the-?' reaction, so he leaned in a bit. "Just go with it" he said soothingly. "I'd put it down as MHCP001:Yui if I were you - but her new full name is Yui Kirigaya, no middle name."

The doc took a little for that to register, but he quickly did so, to get it over with if nothing else. And while the doctor did that, he looked at Yui, finding her look extremely happy - and the way her eyes sparkled reminded him of Asuna. He smiled back, putting a hand on her shoulder, which she unconsciously touched with her own.

"Okay... blood type?"

"Uh-" he jolted, brought up short; Yui was just curiously confused. Maybe she knew what blood was, but likely didn't know about the different kinds, least at the small levels.

Behind him, the doctor just sighed- then told them to wait here, muttering something under his breath as he went out the door. He heard the the gist of it: that he'd likely have to get the whole arsenal of tools/equipment ready, rather than just a simple needle. Then the image of a needle being stuck in Yui's arm got into his brain.

Oh boy, he didn't think Yui had ever felt (physical) pain before...

/

_Hours later_

It took some doing, but she finally got the furniture in place. Panting heavily, she wiped her forehead of sweat, slowly looking around Yui's room.

Her bed was wooden-framed, yet the mattress was very soft, white with gray trimmings - it was a bit big for her, but it was large enough to suit her even when she started to grow later. A single window with curtains shone on the room, just above her bed lined against that wall, and helped illustrate the walls. Maybe they weren't wallpapered yet (it'd only been a day), but it looked great nonetheless. She and Kazuto had also gotten her a drawer to store her clothes, sorted according to what, plus a hamper - now they just needed to fully get her into the habit of changing clothes every day.

She smiled, enjoying the hard work of the room. Maybe it was still unfinished, but Yui had absolutely loved it anyway; she could still hear her squee from yesterday night. And shortly after that:

_"Do we sleep the same time every night?"_

_"Yeah" she'd breathed, stroking her daughter's hair. "Exactly what time we go to bed varies by person, but it's important that we be consistent about it, or we mess up our body rhythms."_

_Yui smiled a little, slowly nodding, leaning against her. "I love you, mommy" she breathed softly, before moving slightly to look through the crook of her arm. "And you too, daddy."_

_Even not seeing it, she could practically hear Kazuto nod/smile from where he stood, by the bed and her but just out of reach. It'd be his turn to say goodnight tomorrow night, as they said to her._

_"We love you too, Yui" she whispered lovingly, kissing her daughter on the forehead, before she gently detached them. "Goodnight" she breathed, gently helping her tuck in, her fingers lingering on her hair._

_"Sweet dreams" Kazuto added gently._

_Yui smiled more at their words, eyes shining, and her smile stayed as her eyes slowly closed, snuggling into the covers._

The memory made her feel warm, as did just being with Yui; she was adorable.

_"It's really happening, finally"_ she thought happily, her hands coming together. _"And maybe in a year or so, Yui will have a little sibling after awhile. I think she'll like that, just as we would..."_

_Knock knock_

Jolted out of her thoughts, she cast one last glance at the room before she hurried down to the door, which she opened and then stopped in surprise.

"Hey" Klein greeted with his usual grin, hand raised.

"What are you doing here, Klein?" she asked, but friendly. "Last we saw you, you ran off yelling something about a party."

He chuckled, hand behind his head. "Sorry about that, but I was kinda caught off-guard" he admitted. "I didn't expect to see Yui out in the real world, much as I think it's great she's here. How old is she supposed to be though?"

"Well, her body says she's ten, but it's been five years since her body was first... grown. I don't understand all the details-" she said, a little off-put at that, "-but she'll look and stay ten until she's 'actually' ten, then things will work like normal from there."

"Wow" Klein breathed, impressed. "That's some fancy work your father did with her."

"You know about that?"

"Well, I may wormed a few details out of Kazuto last night, via begging by text" he said playfully, making her cross her arms. "But relax, it's all good! I'm glad she's here, like I said! So is everyone else; that's why we're preparing a party."

"What kind of party?"

"That's a surprise" he continued cheekily (to her grunt), before counting off on his fingers. "But really, basically everyone important we know is going to be there. Myself, Agil, Silica, Liz, Yulier, Thinker-"

_"Five years, and you still haven't once tried to call them by their real names, much as I understand why"_ she noted faintly, sighing. "They're all going to be there?" she interrupted, surprised. "They just dropped everything?"

"Well, nothing _really_ important, but yeah" he noted, with a little chuckle, before pulling out his phone (with the picture he'd taken yesterday of them). "The moment they saw Yui, and proved that this photo was taken in real life, they went ballistic. They insisted that we do something about it, and so here I am."

Blinking, she looked at him. "Doing what?" she asked carefully.

"Well, basically I'm the bringer-guy" he noted. "What I'm supposed to do is wait for Yui to come back with Kazuto from the hospital, then take all three of you to the party."

"Wait, how did you know that?" she asked, suspicious. "Are you spying on us?"

"Not just me; all of us" he noted slyly, glancing around the area. "I'm not saying where - it'll ruin the surprise - but I will wait, as is my boring job."

Annoyed, she promptly dragged him by the ear. "Well you're not going to wait outside on the grass!"

"Hey! Ow! Come on, the spying's only for today! I swear! AH!"

* * *

><p><em>A few more hours later<em>

"That was a lot of tests they did."

He glanced at her briefly from the driver's seat, where Yui was subconsciously holding a hand to her arm, from which they'd taken a sample of her blood.

He remembered that; she'd been a little confused about the sharp tip, but otherwise hadn't really thought it a problem. Remembering that she had been an Immortal Object for her entire virtual existence, he'd gently taken her hand + put his other hand on her shoulder, to help her first experience with real life pain. Yui had smiled at that, but quickly cried out in shock, trembling at the needle in her arm. He was really sorry that a needle had to be her first experience with pain; those weren't the best gateways to the sensation. But then again, what was?

Still, just one of many tests they did; there had also been an X-ray, and had a lot of explaining to do about the metal parts in her body (which held all her data)...

He still smiled, touching Yui's arm, getting her attention. "You okay?"

Her smile was small, but she still nodded, the hand over her needle-wound moving slightly. "Yes, daddy" she breathed softly. "I'm okay, I'm just... worried. I can be hurt now, or even worse."

"As can we all" he said, faint, but still gentle.

"And I don't like pain."

"Pretty much no one does" he agreed, before smiling a bit. "However, there is a bright side. It's another clue that this is all real; that you're here now, with Asuna and me. And we'll always protect you."

The little girl's eyes filled with tears, but happy, and she nuzzled herself against his free hand. "Daddy" she breathed softly, happy - using his fingers, he gently wiped her tears, but knew they were happy ones regardless.

/

A little after that, he'd pulled up into their driveway, stopping just outside the garage. He normally would have pulled inside as before, but Asuna's text had told him something was going on near the lake, so he was curious first. And he could always move the car later - so he turned it off and got out, Yui following after a moment. However, when he stepped away from the house (looking out at the lake), she slowly stepped to his side with a curious expression.

Somehow, he saw that even without looking, and smiled a bit. "Your mommy sent us a little message over my phone" he said mildly. "That something's going on at the lake, and we should be there. She wouldn't say more."

"A surprise?" she breathed, holding onto his arm.

He nodded, before gently leading her on - the walk was a short one, and despite looking around, he saw nothing. But then again, near the lake was a pretty big drop in land height on one side; they could easily put something below that rise, and they wouldn't see it until they got the very top and looked down. So after making sure he didn't see anything around the lake in plain sight, he smirked a bit and led Yui toward that 'cliff', though he did give her time to enjoy the lake's beauty, and the various small details she saw in the shallow areas. Let her enjoy the real world, certainly.

Then he almost got to the top, saw the arrangement and quickly ducked down, while Yui didn't entirely notice because she was still looking to the side (at the little minnows in the shallow areas). A second later though, she noticed that he'd stopped. "Hmm?"

He smiled, holding her closer. "Just be ready" he said easily - then he led her forward.

"SURPRISE!"

Yui practically jumped in the air, but not with fear; just at the sudden explosion of noise and party favors. She clung to his arm even tighter for a moment, before staring out at the scene before them.

Hung between two trees was this giant sash thing, reading 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YUI' across it in silver letters - it was momentarily hard to read thanks to all the confetti, but that soon faded. Just below the so-called cliff, everyone had set up tables back-to-back, with a really big chocolate birthday cake set with five candles. That was just the centerpiece though, surrounded by a number of (mostly) hastily-wrapped gifts, along with table settings. Gathered around the table on both sides, in little groups of their own, was every one of their friends. And he did mean basically _every one_ of them:

Yeah, there was Asuna (who'd been home the entire time), Suguha, Silica, Lisbeth, Agil, Klein, Sinon, Recon, Yulier + Thinker, along with Sakuya, Alicia, and even Eugene. Quite a gathering of friends, most of them having kept connected, even outside of ALO and GGO - maybe not regularly so for a few of them, but enough that they were still in the know-how.

"Finally, our guest of honor is here!" came from Klein, to Asuna's little friendly-embarrassed sweat-drop.

Beside him, Yui still clung close to his arm, but she began to recognize many of them - despite or because of the similar looks, even from their virtual avatars. "Daddy?" she breathed, almost like she couldn't believe it. "This is all for me?"

"They insisted" he merely said, smiling as he comforted her. "And you deserve it."

Yui blushed a little at that, but her smile and her happy tears said it all.

* * *

><p><strong>A little shorter than the first two, but hopefully still works :) Now just one more to go<strong>

**Also, I'm sorry if there was any longer-than-usual delay - as I worked on the next bit, I guess I kinda slipped on realizing that I hadn't updated with this one yet XD My bad**


	4. Celebration

**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own Sword Art Online in any form, or any of it's characters._

**Rating:** T

**Really nothing to add; enjoy**

* * *

><p>Yup, the biggest party ever with all of their friends.<p>

Of course, despite knowing many of them, introductions still had to be made again, since Yui had only seen all of them virtually in the past (with the exception of Klein now). And not only that, while their avatars basically stayed the same, it had been five years out here, so some details had changed. So for himself and Asuna himself, this was like repeating stuff that they already knew, but for Yui it was mostly different. Anyway, first up had been their little close-knit group of friends from ALO:

Silcia had grown a bit, and her smile was the same, but the biggest change had been her hair length. Usually it'd been enough for the small pigtails she'd sported, but now those reached down past her chest - and as she said, she hadn't worn her hair like this for awhile, but did so to help Yui recognize her. Lisbeth was basically the same confident woman, and she'd maintained her hair length, but there'd been a lot of attention to the otherwise-mundane color - well, she got her avatar's hair pink with a rare dye, but out here it was an unnatural hair color (in her own words, a shame). Yui had been surprised, but slowly giggled as she agreed.

Klein was skipped entirely, by his own words, because they'd already met - to the family's little sheepish smiles. Agil was pretty much exactly as she remembered, just slightly taller - but don't let that fool you; Yui got along great with Agil's gentle nature. Suguha she had a bit of trouble recognizing, but as he gently explained, she knew his cousin much better as Leafa. After that, Yui had pretty much rushed right at her and said she was part of the family (his that was, and so now part of hers). Suguha had been curiously mixed about this, but mostly cheerful overall, welcoming Yui to the real world.

Yeah, things were still complicated there, but getting better.

Up next had been Sinon - his good friend from GGO. As he explained to Yui, their friendship had started off a bit rocky ("-because you pretended to be a girl!-"), and lead everyone laughed at his expense for that. But still, she was kind enough and welcomed Yui.

Then of course, they went to the seen-less-often-but-no-less-of-friends group, which consisted of Recon, the married couple of Thinker and Yulier, then the 'highly-ranked' group of Sakuya, Alicia, and Eugene. Recon went first, and Yui was profuse in her thanks over his efforts to help her daddy and Leafa (well, Suguha, she corrected) save her mommy - he'd been sheepish, saying it was nothing, but he'd still gladly do it again. Yui had been glad to see Yulier and Thinker again, as had they; after all, Yui had come with her parents to help rescue him, and so they still owed her for that. Yui however said they didn't owe her anything, just that she was happy that everything is okay.

Then of course came the other three, who Yui still had the same trouble at recognizing until introduced... eh, blame ALO's character creation randomizing their appearances. Alicia's hair was considerably longer, and brunette, but she still had the hands-behind-her-head aspect down pat - and when she laughed, the cat smile/smirk as well. Sakuya's coincidentally black hair wasn't floor-length, or even really too long, but the dignified and calmly nice demeanor was the same. Eugune's hair was even shorter, and blond, but he was still a big guy.**  
><strong>

Yui also thanked Sakuya and Alicia for helping in the final battle, to which they playfully teased that they had to, with all the money he gave it would have rude otherwise. She wasn't sure about Eugune, as he had tried to hurt her daddy, but he said that's in the past - he respected Kazuto's skills, and they have friendly fights every now and then. It helped that the little girl was almost incapable of holding a grudge.

Sooo - after the _very long_ info-dumpy round of re-introductions - there they were now, with the party ready and set up.

Whew

So everyone had gathered around, Yui at the head of the table, provided with a party hat on top of her head (Klein's idea) - and they all watched as her parents set the candles, and lit them as well. They'd stopped at five because, technicalities aside, Yui was five or so in chronological age, even if not bodily age.

"Okay, Yui" Asuna breathed softly. "Make a wish."

"Huh?"

He leaned beside her, drawing her attention. "It's a tradition for birthdays" he added gently. "You wish for something you want more than _anything else_ in the world, say the wish in your mind, then you blow out the candles. All at once if possible."

She was interested, then tilted her head a bit. "Will it not come true if I say it aloud?" she asked, a little worried.

He smiled. "Well, some people think it is jinked if you say it out loud" he admitted. "But whatever you wish for, it's your decision to make come true or not, even if it takes time."

With that, he gently stepped back, giving Yui her space to decide - during this time, Asuna stepped closer to him, taking his arm.

"I think I know exactly what she's wishing for" she breathed, so faint only he could have heard it, in a voice full of happiness and tears.

He slowly smiled, bumping his head against hers, and holding her hand (she returned both of them). "If I were in her place, I don't think I'd wish any differently" he agreed softly, smiling.

While they talked, Yui had closed her eyes, hands together in front of her - everyone else waited with soft, bated breath.

Then she opened her eyes, took in a breath and blew out hard - the first four candles went out almost instantly, but the fifth somehow withstood her breath, barely. Yui made a little sound and quickly blew it out, with little gestures that she hoped no one had noticed this.

They had, but no one cared; their rounds of applause and cheers were too overwhelming to be so. This lead to a moment of wonder at them doing all this for her, then a little sheepish-but-genuine smile.

"Now, you get to open this massive pile of presents" he said cheerfully, gesturing at it, and getting mild playful looks for his use of massive.

"Huh?" Yui breathed, curiously confused. "But don't we eat right after I blow them out?"

"That's how it'd normally go" Asuna said gently, in the middle of removing the candles (and soon to cut the cake). "But you also have a lot of presents to open."

"Oh-huh?" she breathed, first at this, then the surprise at being offered a present by Klein (with a nod from him) - she slowly took it with a smile.

"Make sure you rip it good" he said mildly, holding up a recording camera over Yui; his daughter's happiness needed to be recorded for prosperity, or whatever it was.

"I can do that?"

"It's a special occasion, and one of the few that allows it."

/

_"-and one of the few that allows it."_

She slowly rolled her eyes playfully, but not looking at her husband as he made that comment; Yui's happiness and curiosity made her much happier than any annoyance he could ever give her. So in short order, she removed the candles from the cake, and made sure to cut it into even pieces - the large size made that difficult even with the big knife, but she managed, giving the first one to Klein. Got give at least one piece to everyone of their friends after all the presents were open... still, she knew exactly which piece she'd offer Yui; the one with flower frosting.

So yeah, that one was off-limits.

But of course, by listening the sounds of hesitant tearing paper, she made sure to keep an eye on Yui's reactions. First up, Klein's gift (who she was gonna kill if he gave her something inappropriate)... which turned out to be this really adorable whale plushie as big as her arms. Yui absolutely squeed on the spot, loudly and happily as she squeezed the thing, making everyone grin and laugh.

It was absolute music to her ears, and made her so happy - still, she had a job to do.

Even as Yui giggled happily, her father was by her side even as the little girl grinned, thanking Klein (who said it was nothing; he knew how much she liked whales). After that, they continued the process of unwrapping gifts, herself offering cake piece-by-piece to the gift-givers, who were physically bringing their presents.

A win-win as far as she was concerned.

"Here you go; enjoy" Lisbeth said, taking her piece of cake, but sticking around for the reaction. Yui was less hesitant on tearing the paper this time, but that seemed to be because no one was bothered by it. So, she opened it and breathed out, getting a closer look... before pulling out what seemed to be a keychain. However-

She jolted; it was this silver bracelet, but it also had a unique keychain attachment. Attached to the bracelet through a tiny hole and hanging straight down, was a miniature metal replica of her own Lambent Light from SAO. Fused to the front of the blade itself were two other swords – Kazuto's Elucidator and Dark Repulsor, set in an X-shape. Yui breathed out again as she also recognized them.

Lisbeth had a knowing smile. "You like, don't you" she said gently, before sheepishly rubbing her head. "Maybe I can't metalwork out here, but, I DO know a guy who can – and it was well worth it."

"Wow, that's incredible Lis" her husband said, leaning forward to view it up-close. "You got a lot of the little details right and everything!"

"Hey, I _did_ make them myself" she added with a little smirk. "Maybe not here, but you know what I mean."

Despite herself, she giggled, and she wasn't the only one to laugh – Yui just hugged the bracelet to her heart, eyes sparkling. "Thank you, so much" she said to Lis, who nodded before she leaned over, gently showing Yui how to put it on (and they both did). "It's incredible, really" she just managed to say, but didn't see Lis's reaction; Yui's happiness was all she did see.

"No problem."

Then Lisbeth retreated a bit from the head of the table, but not back to where she'd originally stood... meanwhile, Silica approached with her gift, which was a fairly big box (but apparently still light). "I know you'll like this one" she said gently, brushing the longer pigtails behind her. Yui gave a little 'Mmh-hmm', before she hesitantly worked on the unwrapped box itself, not used to such a thing. However, she soon got it, and Yui gasped when she saw what was inside.

Curious herself, she leaned over, and: "Pina!?"

Silica held her hands behind her back when she snapped up, smile soft, but also a little sad. "Actually, just a statue of him" she said. "Lisbeth's friend is very, very skilled."

She looked at her, something not clicking right. "But, even if he is that skilled, he couldn't have made this so well in just a day!"

"He didn't, Asuna" she admitted, before looking at Yui. "He made them years ago, at my request – I have two of Pina's likeness, including this one. And I thought you might like to have it, Yui."

"Are you sure?" Yui asked, a little worried, "I mean, you went to a lot of trouble-"

Silica just smiled. "I'll be fine" she said mildly, gently. "And I can always ask him to make another."

Yui slowly smiled back, before she reached down into the box, pulling out Pina's carved statue with tender care. And truly Lis's friend was skilled; the curves and the paint all managed to convey a living sense, as if Pina was really right there with them.

"Thank you" Yui breathed, so happy.

Silica nodded gently, then after getting her piece of cake, moved to stand over with Lisbeth.

Next up, Agil, who approached with his gift behind his back - Yui noticed this, but looked up at him. He merely smiled, "Well, my gift is small enough, that I thought wrapping paper would be a waste. So, here you go."

Then he extended his hand, Yui looking at the small dome thing that appeared.

Kazuto spoke what she was thinking, though more blunt: "Uh, Agil, a snowglobe?"

"Maybe it's not as big as the others, but look closely" he said, completely assured, then Yui gasped. Quickly getting closer, as well as her husband, they both were astonished - inside the apparently-dull snowglobe was a near-perfect representation of Alfheim's World Tree, Arun right around it... and floating around inside, a golden-painted Aincrad.

"See? What I tell you?"

"It's amazing" she admitted, sheepish, slowly handing him his piece of cake after a little. Beside her, Yui just marveled at such a thing, especially how small it was, but the level of detail that was put upon them - Kazuto didn't say anything, but his expression said enough. Agil just nodded, patting the little girl's shoulder, getting her attention again. "And just wait till you shake it" he added, winking briefly, before he stepped off.

"Shake it?" Yui wondered, looking at her newest gift. "Won't that harm these things?"

"Nah, they're a lot softer than they look" her husband said gently. "And also, you can do that all you want later - your next gift-giver is waiting."

/

Next gift-giver? His good friend Sinon, least that was her name in GGO, who had helped him end the BoB tournament by killing them both with a grenade.

"Nice to see you again" he said mildly.

She slowly smiled back. "Nice you to see you again, _ma'am_" she answered, to his little grunt; she still wasn't gonna let that go. And it only further annoyed him when his wife had to stifle a giggle over this aspect - least the others made an 'attempt' to stifle their grins.

"Anyway" Sinon said, turning her attention to Yui. "I haven't known you as long as the others Yui, but uh, I'm glad to see you so happy. And also... maybe it's a bit lame compared to the other gifts, but, I've gotten you something to help you experience real life a little more."

"Really?" Yui said, excited, and even more so when she handed her gift over. A small gift-wrap tearing later, Yui looked curiously at something that was quite familiar to him and everyone else at the party... except her. "What is it?"

"It's a music player" Sinon explained gently. "As you might soon find out, there's a lot of people out there who like listening to music, and there's many different kinds. It's uh, better experienced than explained."

"Still, thank you" Asuna said gently, giving Sinon her piece of cake, even as Yui's finger accidentally pressed a button (which opened the lid), startling her briefly. "I'm sure she'll like it."

He got closer, right next to Yui. "It's gonna take awhile to 'really' introduce you to music, but yeah, I'm sure you'll like a few" he said, gently ruffling his daughter's hair - something that made her both happy and playfully annoyed, hehe.

Still, when he stood up, the next gift-givers had come forward; Recon, and his cousin, Suguha. And for a sec, Suguha glanced at him before quickly looking back at Yui - mentally, he sighed a bit, but kept up the smile. "Hey, Yui" she said anyway.

Yui smiled. "Hey there, Le-oh!" she started to say, before touching her hands to her mouth, a little embarrassed. "Hey, Sugu... huh?"

"'Ha'" he corrected gently, when she looked at him. "But you can call her Sugu, if she's okay with it" he continued, patting her head, looking at his cousin.

She fidgeted a bit, before Recon elbowed her a little, giving her a little look. Inside, he was a little surprised; that wasn't quite like the guy. However, after a small glare, Suguha just sighed before she looked back at him. "I guess it'd be okay" she said, a little sheepish. "After all, Yui, you're part of our family... it's cool."

Inwardly, he saw the struggle, as did Asuna - and for a moment, he thought Yui had an inkling. However, the little girl just smiled happily, nodding. "Okay" she said softly.

"Anyway" Recon added, holding up their boxes, Suguha slowly taking hers from atop his own. "We have our own gifts. They're not that big, like-like Sinon's, but we hope you'll enjoy them for years. Here-"

An eager Yui took them, working to get the paper and box stuff off, as she'd been getting experience lately. Then-

"Wow!" Yui breathed, curious, pulling out this really brightly-colored ball thing. It looked to be made of this really bouncy material, slightly bigger than either a basketball or soccer ball. "It's so pretty! But, what it's for?"

"Sports" Suguha slowly said, touching a hand to her head, still sheepish. "Or rather, games you can play, you know, with your parents."

Yeah, yeah he could see that himself - it wasn't any proper ball for sports, a bit light or not heavy enough, but they could make do. Simple, seemingly not big, but had a worth beyond the cost/appearance, just like Agil's. He merely had to look at Asuna, who saw what he saw just as easily, smiling. And it reminded him, perhaps Yui might like chalk as well... he'd have to get some later.

Yui herself brightened. "I don't know much about sports, but games are fun!" she said excitedly, testing the ball's weight in her arms. "I can't wait to try this out!"

Recon just grinned, easily taking the pieces of cake from him and Suguha - she needed a little coaxing, which involved more than a few nudges.

Mmph... yeah, this was gonna stay difficult, he thought to himself. His relationship with his cousin was still good, as was her friendship with Asuna and everyone else - but this would continue to shadow her for awhile.

When he came out of his moment though, he quickly held up the video camera again. Yui's next gift-givers were Yuilier and Thinker, who were holding hands, and holding their combined present box with their other hands.

"Ah, it's so nice to see you two again" Yui breathed, happy. "I hope you'll continue to be happy!"

"Thank you, Yui, but without your parents, none of this would have been possible" Thinker said gently, glancing at him and Asuna. "We still owe them."

"As we do you, Yui" Yulier added, squeezing Thinker's hand (he squeezed back). "Earlier, Asuna told us how she was helping model your room - when I heard that, I just thought-"

"-that it was a good coincidence" Thinker said for her, but softly.

She quickly nodded, smiling a bit. "It's not much, but please, we hope it'll spice up your room."

Even more curious at that, Yui took the box from them, making a little sound under it's weight sensation before she put it on the table. Then she worked to open it, peering inside with wonder, before taking out... a pillow? Wait, it wasn't just blank; it had SAO and Alfhiem imagery all over it.

"T-To help you sleep at night, Yui" Yuiler added, a little worried about her reaction.

Yui just breathed out, happy as she held it closer. "It's so soft" she whispered, her fingers moving over the fabric. "Thank you!"

At that, the married couple looked happily relieved - he merely smiled, happy that Yui liked it. Any comments he 'might' have had about them getting a better gift were better left unsaid, obviously.

And Asuna was also glad, offering them their cake. "It'll fit right in" she assured them, completely pleased herself. "And I was just thinking she might have needed a few more, just in case."

_"Yeah, it's all good"_ he thought, looking at Yui, who was contently enjoying the feel of the fabric for a little longer. After she was done marveling over the fabric, and when he looked up, Yuiler and Thinker had stepped back with their pieces of cake, leaving the last round of gift-givers: Alicia, Sakuya, and Eugene.

"You know, you guys didn't have to bring gifts" he said mildly.

"Didn't have to!?" Alicia asked, like she couldn't believer her non-existent-in-this-world cat ears. "We still owe you for all the money you gave us on the World Tree raid!"

A sweat-drop ran down his head. "That was about five years ago!" he argued sheepishly. "You'd think such things would be payed off by then!"

"Oh, it isn't just that han- uh, Kazuto."

"Hmm?" he asked, secretly glad that Alicia had avoided saying 'handsome' in front of Asuna and Yui; unfortunately, she liked to tease him that way.

Sakuya put a hand on Alicia's shoulder, smiling. "Perhaps the money is payed off for, but everyone in Alfhiem owes you for exposing the fake Grand Quest, not to mention putting in a new one at that only days later" she said amicably, but still with a teasing hint. "And being able to fly indefinitely is worth more than any money you could have provided."

"I second that" Eugene agreed, also smiling, though his was more one-sided. "All of it. You have no idea how much more fun aerial combat is when you don't have to worry about your wings giving out."

"I'll agree to that" Asuna said from beside him, jolting him. His wife merely looked at him, smiling, squeezing his hand for a moment - that was enough for him.

"Okay okay, guess I lose that argument" he said mildly. "So you guys still owe me. A lot."

They all just laughed, including Yui after a moment, because she was happy to see them all like this.

"Anyway, welcome to the real world, Yui" Sakuya said, nodding her head to Yui, who quickly returned it with a smile. "Our gift is a combined one, and we hope you'll enjoy it. Eugene?"

He reached over, taking the only present left; a very big box, though only in length. "Right here" he said, setting it down carefully beside Yui's chair, one end facing her. "Open it at the sides."

"Okay" she breathed, a little confused, but curious anyway as she worked at it. When it opened though, she made a sound, as if unsure what she saw, before she looked in closer.

"What is it, Yui?" he gently prodded.

"I'm not quite sure" she said, before slowly reaching her hand in. "I see them, but it's kinda dark" she continued, groping around inside.

Them?

Yui pulled her arm back... and the family gasped a little as it was revealed; a near-perfect replica of Excaliber from ALO! However, on closer inspection, it wasn't a real sword... there were way too many soft edges, and the texture was slightly off.

"You gave her a foam Excaliber?" Asuna asked, surprised.

"So you can train her, if you like" Eugene said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah!" Alicia added, hands behind her head. "It'd be good exercise, and even without a sword, it would help develop her reflexes when she's older; you can always use those!"

He breathed out, looking over at Asuna; they both remembered how Yui had initially struggled to open their car door yesterday. "That's- pretty clever" he admitted, but smiling. "Not only would it be fun, but it'd help out in other ways."

Sakuya nodded. "That was the plan."

A sorta-great rumble came as Yui unexpectedly shook the box again, spilling out everything else in the box... which included foam replicas of his Elucidator/Dark Repulsor, and Asuna's Lambent Light.

"Ah!" Yui breathed out, picking them up in her arms; luckily they didn't weigh much. "They're so great, and daddy said I'd make a fine swordswoman one day! Thank you so much!"

Of course they had grins, or a smile in Sakuya's case. Still, even as Asuna gave them their cake, he touched his hand to Yui's shoulder, making her look up with a 'Huh?' - he merely smiled warmly, to which she gave him a truly big grin.

"Okay, everyone got their cake?" his wife called, drawing both their attention.

*general chorus of 'yeah!'*

"Very well" she continued, smiling as she held up the last one, with the flower icing on it. "Yui, this one's yours" she breathed gently, setting it down. "The moment you eat the first bite, everyone else has permission to eat theirs."

"I-Is that another tradiation?"

"Nah, just one specific to this day" he said mildly. "Everyone here wants to see your reaction to what cake tastes like, and it won't take that long anyway."

With a little 'Oh', Yui slowly turned her attention to her cake, slowly picking up her fork... though, she was unsure if she was supposed to poke into it, so she looked up at Asuna (who mimed what to do). Then, hesitantly, she slowly worked to use the flat part of her fork to take off a piece. Slowly, gently, she put the first piece in her mouth-

"Mmph! Ah! It's so sweet, that stuff on the top!" she breathed, excited, before making a sound, she worked her mouth... obviously new with a few sensations. "And it's sticky!"

"Yeah, frosting is sweet like that" he said gently, by her side. "But don't worry about the stickiness; feel your mouth getting wetter? ('Uh? -mmh-hmm.") Well, just work it around, and it'll pass."

"My mouth makes water?"

"Sorta."

Still, just after she finished, Yui just giggled and eagerly helped herself to another piece - everyone was already grinning, eating their own cake, but he only had eyes for his family. And without prompt, Asuna touched herself against his arm, both of them looking at Yui enjoying herself.

* * *

><p><em>Hours later<em>

Ahh, ahh, what a party! The presents, the cake (delicious!), how everyone had changed - they'd been the greatest!

Leaning in her chair, she looked again at the gathered presents on the table.

On one side was her adorable whale 'plushie' from Klein, Pina's statue from Silica, the charm bracelet she wore from Lisbeth, Sinon's music player, and Agil's snowglobe (which she thought was utterly cool, the way the stuff swirled around). On another side was everyone elses' gifts, including Recon + Suguha's colorful 'bouncy' ball, Yulier + Thinker's really soft pillow, along with Sakuya + Alicia + Eugune's foam weapons (the idea of playful family fights excited her).

She smiled, hands in front of her, just feeling warm. Every day so far had been the best of her life, and now she was here, for real...

"Yui?"

"Hmm?" she breathed, looking up, seeing the smiling face of her mommy (along with daddy nearby).

"I don't think we need to ask, but, how do you feel?" she asked, entirely gentle, holding daddy's hand in her own.

She couldn't even begin to express how much this meant to her, so breathing out a little, she held her hands up, wanting to hold her mommy. The two of them smiled even more, mommy reaching forward and pulling her up/into a big hug. She worried that she was heavy, but mommy held her up well enough, even as daddy joined in on the hug (even better!)

"Mommy, daddy" she breathed, shaking a little from happiness. "This was so great, I can't tell you, but... thank you!"

"You're welcome" daddy breathed, once they pulled apart, she still in her mommy's arms. "But Yui, there's still one more present to give."

"There is?" she wondered. "But I thought I got all of them?"

He smiled, reaching into his pocket. "All from our friends, yes you did" he answered. "But not from your mommy and me."

"It's your first birthday here, Yui" she said gently, drawing her attention. "We wanted to give you something special as well."

"Y-You didn't have to do that" she mumbled, but happy. "I'm just glad to be here, with you two."

Daddy merely smiled more. "We know" he merely said, before he pulled out the thing in his pocket... she breathed out.

A silver necklace, complete with interlocking chain, holding up this beautiful silver heart.

"It's silver, because that's one possibility between combining my favorite color, and your mommy's" he said softly, looking at it himself. "The heart should say it all. Yui?"

She could barely see it; her tears were falling.

"I- I-" she breathed, just overwhelmed, and so happy!

Even as she tried to say it, tears falling, her mommy and daddy just shared a look – it was a sparkling look, different for both of them, but still saying it all. Even as mommy gently helped with her tears, daddy gently stepped forward, putting the necklace over her heart – and he also gently moved her hair so that the chain wouldn't catch on it.

This made her even happier, but she couldn't speak; she just hugged them both so tight.

Neither minded at all; they were just so glad to finally be with her, in the real world. They must have been in the hug for minutes, before she gently looked up at her mommy, brushing her fingers against her own tears - like she'd seen them do sometimes. It definitely helped her see better, at least.

"Now" mommy breathed gently. "What's say we have fun with your presents?"

"Really!?" she breathed, excited. "Already!?"

"Sure, why not?" daddy answered, with a 'why wait?' tone.

"Eeeeeeee!"

/

Mmh... umm...

Was- was she sleepy? The last thing she remembered, she'd been playing, and now... this.

She made a sound; someone was carrying her upstairs. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up, vision blurry until; "Daddy?" she breathed.

He smiled down at her, soft and warm. "Hey, Yui" he breathed, stopping at the top of the stairs, still holding her body in his arms. "You kinda dozed off there."

She did?

Making a small sound, she tried to remember... the memory didn't come immediately. Being so used to data coming at her call, she still found it a little worrying, but soon-

_Daddy teaching her how to play with the ball, in a variety of sports. One where you just used your feet (she nearly slipped, before being caught by mommy), one where you needed to bounce it constantly (her size made that harder), and other such things._

_She'd been running, giggling and squealing as her mommy caught her, spinning her around on the spot. Then just like that, they'd fallen onto the ground, but still happy and laughing as she snuggled in closer._

_Daddy and mommy going at each other with what they called 'foam' swords - they had still retained their skills, and showed them off for her before they asked if she wanted to learn. Wanting to protect herself if she could, she'd said yes immediately!_

_"Oh"_ she thought, blinking a little; she must have worn out her energy, and briefly fell asleep... or 'dozed off', as daddy put it. Still, though she remembered it all vividly, it felt like time had gone by so fast! She had felt this as an AI, but always knew it wasn't really changing... now though, she knew exactly what they meant when they said time 'flew' or 'slowed to a crawl'.

"I-I was just so happy" she breathed, putting her arms up around his neck. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Nah" he breathed gently. "We understood perfectly."

"Mmm. Mommy?"

"Right here, Yui" she said softly, appearing beside daddy easily.

She smiled, even wider than usual, but her eyes full of tears. "Daddy, mommy" she whispered, overcome once again. "Thank you!" she breathed, burying her head in daddy's chest, so happy it was a good overwhelming!

They didn't say anything, but they didn't have to; she could feel their warmth from here.

Daddy moved slowly, her making a sound as he slowly put her down, right onto her bed as she realized it - mommy had helped pull down the covers, so that she could slip in. Now she drew them over her, looking so happy as her fingers brushed against her cheek, before gently kissing her forehead and pulling away. Already, she felt warm, but daddy knelt down next to her.

"Your mommy did say tonight would be my turn" he said gently, his fingers touching her hair. "Goodnight, Yui."

Her warmth and happiness only got better. "Goodnight, daddy" she breathed lovingly, "Mommy."

"Sweet dreams" mommy said, before gently putting her whale plushie right next to her.

Even more happy, she held it close to her side, slowly closing her eyes... daddy then kissed her cheek, and she could tell he was smiling. It made her feel even warmer, and she curled even more under the covers.

Still, a lot to learn, to experience, being in the real world... but with mommy and daddy? She couldn't ask for more, even if she wouldn't say no to it either!

* * *

><p><strong>And like I said in the last chapter, this one was the last one, least for this story :) But don't worry: as I see it, it definitely leaves room for more moments, via one-shots or other multi-chaptered works. I just thought they deserve their own attention and such, and that way they wouldn't risk disrupting the flow of this one, or seem tacked-on.<strong>

**No concrete dates on when of course, but it's very likely XD**


End file.
